Wen Shangsheng, upon hearing Su Ling's command, obediently replied, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law."
His exclamation of "Third Sister-in-law" was so loud and clear that everyone standing in the courtyard heard it.
Those who were not convinced became even more so.
"Are you the one who decides? How do I know if what you're saying is true or false? How can I be sure you won't trick us into returning, imprison us again, and then when you run out of food, turn us into food?"
The one who stepped forward to speak was a nine-head beauty named Zhou Tingna.
What set her apart from the others was that she wasn't disheveled, barefoot, or dirty.
Her black hair was braided and hung over her left shoulder, and she wore a slip dress.
Although it was wrinkled, compared to the disheveled and dirty state of those around her, she was a standout.
Moreover, her face was clean, and her hair didn't appear greasy, clearly indicating that her life after the apocalypse had been relatively comfortable.
Her ability to speak such words indicated that she was aware of what Xu Du and the others had done.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have mentioned food.
Those who had been moved by Su Ling's words and wanted to leave with her began to waver after hearing Zhou Tingna's challenge to Su Ling. They looked at Su Ling, their eyes questioning whether Su Ling was as Zhou Tingna claimed.
Su Ling, facing Zhou Tingna's questioning and the questioning gazes of the crowd, couldn't be bothered to explain. She simply threw out a sentence: "You are free agents. Whether you stay or go is entirely up to you."
After saying this, Su Ling glanced at her watch.
Time was pressing, and they still needed to leave the city to transport building materials from the place Chu Jin mentioned.
Disinclined to deal with Zhou Tingna, who had stepped up to cause trouble, Su Ling looked at Shang Qi and said, "Let's go."
Shang Qi grunted and followed Su Ling like a subordinate.
Seeing this, Chu Jin hurried to follow.
Before leaving, he glanced at Zhou Tingna, thinking that this woman, despite her good looks, lacked brains.
If she had been a little more observant, looking at the Tang dao on Su Ling's back, she would have known that Su Ling was not to be trifled with.
Unfortunately, some people only believed what they had already decided and were unwilling to observe or pay attention.
With that thought, Chu Jin looked back at Su Ling, his gaze falling on the Tang dao on her back, and then he was startled.
He had overlooked it. When Su Ling's Tang dao wasn't in use, it looked like an umbrella when sheathed.
It was understandable that others couldn't see its hidden nature.
The only reason he knew was that he had previously witnessed Su Ling draw the Tang dao from its "umbrella handle" and wreak havoc.
In that case, he had been too presumptuous.
However, he still felt that the woman who stepped forward to speak was brainless.
Seeing that Su Ling did not answer her question directly but instead gave a perfunctory, noncommittal response, Zhou Tingna became somewhat angry. She looked at Su Ling's retreating back and shouted, "Hey, you haven't answered me yet. Are you leaving because you're guilty?"
The response to Zhou Tingna was Su Ling and the others walking further and further away until they were out of sight.
Meanwhile, Wen Shangsheng, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, watched Zhou Tingna and the others and said, "My Third Sister-in-law has stated clearly: those who wish to come with us can come forward and leave their identification information. Those who do not wish to leave can also collect their departure gift package."
After speaking, Wen Shangsheng lit a cigarette and began to smoke.
Seeing that questioning Su Ling yielded no results, Zhou Tingna shifted her attention to Wen Shangsheng.
Although she wanted to latch onto someone powerful, she also understood her own worth.
For instance, she could tell that Shang Qi was not someone she could control.
However, she believed she had the capability to win over Wen Shangsheng.